We Talk Friday
(WTF)
This is a semi-regular series that I will run on Fridays to hold discussions on a current topic from the week gone. The aim is to keep them light and conversational, though some might be heavier - regardless of the content topic itself though, just have some fun engaging and discussing with whoever happens to put in the effort in the comments section below.
We Talk Friday Ep. 75: Sky High
1. Attorney at Lies
It would appear that the latest Trump firing has broken another record, with the newly appointed Press Secretary being fired just four days into the job. There are probably numerous reasons for it considering her first press briefing which was labelled a disaster, but I think one of the main ones is that she lied about being a lawyer and attorney. Sure, she might have been careful not to call herself an attorney at law, but she did.
The real question about all of this is, how the fuck does the US government vet candidates?
2. Now You Don't
And on bad decisions, the same building of decision makers chose to throttle the Starshield service to Ukraine, so they can't see incoming ballistic missiles launched by Russia. Trump is blaming Ukrainian attacks on Russian refineries for increasing fuel prices in the US and has even broken the sanctions and done a deal with Russia to supply diesel. It has nothing to do with his special operation in Iran... But, perhaps the reason Trump is so interested in buddying up with Putin is he is looking into the future and Russia and the US do not have an extradition agreement.
3. Suck Me, Baby
Admittedly, the new Tesla demonstration of a car with thrusters and a suction system is pretty cool, albeit pretty bloody useless on the normal roads. I am not sure if I would want to be upside down in a car, or doing anything really. Still, the suction system would be fantastic to see in action cornering on a race track. It is like a really expensive automatic window washer.
Taraz
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Unfortunatelly, the case of the Press Secretary is not something happening only in the US. I remember many years ago, in Spain, the fist time the director of the country police department (Guardia Civil) was a politician, ended up as a complete dissaster as he was corrupted and years later they found he also lied about his university degrees. He ended up in prison several years.
You can read what Google AI responded about him
Luis Roldán's case (former Director-General of the Civil Guard between 1986 and 1993) marked a milestone in Spain's history as the first major public scandal involving the forgery of academic degrees and résumés within the country's political sphere.
During his political rise within the PSOE—a period in which he became deputy mayor of Zaragoza, Government Delegate in Navarre, and top head of the Civil Guard—Roldán padded his official record with several completely non-existent prestigious degrees. In his public biography, he claimed to hold:
• A Degree in Industrial Engineering: Falsely presented as his foundational technical qualification.
• A Bachelor's Degree in Business Administration: Another higher-education degree he never actually studied.
• A Master's Degree in Economics: A postgraduate qualification he used to justify his alleged expertise in budget management.
The academic reality uncovered by journalistic and judicial investigations in late 1993 was radically different: Luis Roldán only had a high school education. He did not possess any completed university degree or legitimate postgraduate training at the time he held high office. Paradoxically, the only college degree he ever legitimately earned (a Bachelor's Degree in Political Science from the UNED) was studied and completed years later while serving his sentence at the Brieva prison in Ávila.
Although the degree forgery was a devastating blow to his credibility and a profound abuse of institutional trust, from a legal standpoint, it took a back seat. Roldán was ultimately sentenced to 31 years in prison due to the severity of the financial crimes he committed using his position. These included the embezzlement of millions from state secret funds, accepting illegal kickbacks for building Civil Guard barracks (known as the "barracks scam"), fraud, bribery, and tax evasion.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luis_Roldán
Corruption is everywhere in government and I think this US administration highlights how rampant it is at all levels and in all decisions. There is definitely no meritocracy there! :D
Don't you find it crazy that at that level, no one reference checked?
Unfortunately, in many country politics you are more valuable if you "follow" the party policies than if you are a good profesional. This is one of the reason people with very small or no experience at all in the private sector end up taking positions which affect the countries, and we have the perfect set for a complete dissaster.
It's a dumpster fire to watch this administration. I can imagine what it is like from the outside looking in. Someone wouldn't believe it if they wrote this as a movie twenty years ago,
The movie would be a flop for being so far-fetched.
Exactly! Mid-terms should be interesting. If opposition takes control of both chambers, then we will see what, if anything, will change.
I've lived long enough to know that other than the faces, nothing ever changes.
Nothing changes. Hopefully at least there is a bit more professionalism.
They’re mightily professional at keeping us distracted by the soap opera that is politics while they pick our pockets, flood our countries with newcomers, and drag us ever closer to war. Quite the performance, really.
Probably not but I try to be an optimist
Of all the news this week, the "flying" car surprised me the most.
I calculate, what is the force, for acceleration from 0 to 100km/h in 1s, for my mass of 95kg...
Like in the fastest roller coaster 3-3.5G
Very unnecessary.
It is very, very unnecessary. Most of what we spend our time and resources on as a species is unnecessary. Sad eh?
As a species, we are slowly heading down the road of no return.
We are getting into technology (AI) more than we should and that will soon backfire on us.
Elon gives gas, Trump supports, they smelled big money, so I think that even though the EU is slowing down a bit, we will soon all become prisoners of artificial intelligence globally.
Now I'm trying to be far away from geopolitics, but do you really believe that Putin and Trump could be little friends?
I think they could be friends in the sense that, Putin makes Trump his bitch.
But Putin have hard bone in Ukraine. There's no time now for Trump
I felt really amazed at the flying car that was so innovative. However, if I were to be so rich that I can afford anything I want I wouldn’t buy that car even if it’s just a gift.
I wouldn’t want to be turn upside down like that and I feel it wouldn’t be all roads friendly.
It was a cool party trick. still want to see it on a race track.
Lo de la secretaria de prensa despedida a los cuatro días me dejó pensando en lo mismo que planteás: ¿cómo carajo se hace el vetting ahí? En mi experiencia, en las empresas privadas un CV así se cae en la primera entrevista, no en el briefing. Igual, lo del auto de Tesla con succión me hizo reír, pero honestamente no me subiría ni loco a algo que se pega al techo.
Flying car is cool stuff. I would love to see someone escaping a police chase with a cool stunt. Too many movies are damaging my mind, I guess.
The only way I am surviving in this country is by avoiding news of Trumps exploits. Just seeing headlines makes me nauseous.
Sending you some Ecency curation votes.
I am sure Federal government has a really robust vetting system, but Trump doesn't follow any rules and just appoints the first blond he likes :) BTW her husband is some big shot movie guy...
When something becomes normal, we quickly stop appreciating it and start looking for the next thing. So, we can easily lose perspective on what we already have.
The vetting question is probably the biggest issue for me too. Regardless of political affiliation, someone being presented as an expert or authority should have their credentials properly verified before they get into that position